The Taliban have rejected numerous requests from regional powers to allow Afghan officials to take part in the talks Another senior Taliban leader confirmed the meeting and said no other country would be involved KABUL: Peace talks between Taliban and US officials scheduled this week have been cancelled over agenda disagreement. Senior Taliban members based in Afghanistan said "both sides have agreed to not meet." Taliban representatives and US officials were set to meet on Wednesday in Qatar without Afghan government officials. The Taliban have rejected numerous requests from regional powers to allow Afghan officials to take part in the talks, insisting that the United States is their main adversary in the 17-year war and that Kabul is a “puppet” regime. The insurgents, seeking to reimpose strict Islamic law after their 2001 ouster by US-led troops, also called off their meeting with the US officials in Saudi Arabia this week because of Riyadh’s insistence on bringing the Western-backed Afghan government to the table. Three meetings have already taken place between Taliban leaders and US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the UAE took part in the last round of talks in December. The war in Afghanistan is America’s longest overseas military intervention. It has cost Washington nearly a trillion dollars and killed tens of thousands of people. The United States, which sent troops to Afghanistan in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington and at the peak of the deployment had more than 100,000 troops in the country, withdrew most of its forces in 2014, but still keeps around 14,000 troops there as part of a NATO-led mission aiding Afghan security forces and hunting militants. Reports last month about US President Donald Trump’s plans to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan triggered uncertainty in Kabul which depends on the United States and other foreign powers for military support and training. (With Reuters)